Mark of the Thestraldeceptus
by bLaCk CaT10
Summary: It is the summer holidays for Harry again after his fourth year at Hogwarts. But thanks to Malfoy, the Ministry is after Harry for murder. But in the midst of this daring escapade, Harry finds himself within the sights of something else...


Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling.  
A/N: This fic is set during Harry's summer holidays after GOF. I suppose this chapter is rather short but, don't worry, I'll try to write longer chapters in future. I'm just testing the plot of this fic to see if it gathers interest, so whether I continue this fic will be depending on the reviews. Hm.but then again this chapter might not cover much.well, the next chapter will be coming up soon anyway!  
  
The 'Thestraldeceptus' is something else I created for this fic, well, basically I just threw together some words and.taa-dah! I know the name is pretty *ugh* corny or something like that but I really couldn't think of anything no matter how much I racked my brains but there it is. So, tell me what you think of it, or if you have any ideas, don't hesitate to share them. But no flames please, they're not very useful. Well, so much for my rambling, enjoy!  
***  
  
Mark of the Thestraldeceptus  
  
Chapter 1: The Fatal Bite  
  
"Dumbledore, We're doing all we can, but Harry Potter is a strong suspect in the murder of the late Mr. C. Diggory." Headmaster Dumbledore grew serious; the twinkle in his eyes vanished upon hearing what Fudge, the current Minister for Magic, had to say.  
  
"The Ministry has voted and someone's got to be responsible for Mr. Diggory's untimely death. We can't have the Wizarding community in an uproar, can we?" Lucius Malfoy added silkily, obviously enjoying this.  
  
Along with Fudge and Malfoy were some other ministers and a couple of aurors, fingering their wands eagerly.  
  
"I'm am glad that you care for the Wizarding community, but know this: I believe the boy is innocent. Surely you don't plan on subjecting this underage wizard to veritaserum? Or perhaps sentence him without trial to appease the fear of the people?" Dumbledore said quietly, his eyes blazing. The ministers shifted their eyes uneasily.  
  
Fudge opened and closed his mouth, speechless, his eyes bulging, "B.But.its for the good of the people.he.he might strike again!" He spluttered helplessly, fidgeting in his seat. He looked around for support, everyone conveniently avoided his eyes, but Malfoy glared dangerously.  
  
"Dumbledore, with all due respect, I suggest you cooperate with the Ministry on this.this case. Give us Potter's location!" Malfoy's eyes glittered angrily.  
  
Dumbledore seemed to have a faraway look for a moment. He heaved a sigh, his eyes fixed at the back of the room. "What is the world coming to?." He nodded slowly and added cryptically, "You know what you must do."  
  
A look of triumph crept across Malfoy's face as the rest leant forward in anticipation. Dumbledore took a deep breath, hesitating. He exhaled slowly, "Harry Potter currently resides in."  
  
Whilst the meeting carried on, a dark shape loped across the Hogwarts grounds into the dark night.  
  
***  
  
Thousands of miles away, ensconced in a muggle town lived the boy in question. The boy wizard and savior of the Wizarding world sat in a cramped, second-hand bedroom with creaking floorboards. As usual, during the summer holidays, Harry had to do his homework under the covers. Shifting the flashlight to his left hand, Harry unscrewed a bottle of ink and loaded his quill.  
  
"In the thirteenth century." Harry paused, quill hovering over his History of Magic essay. With bated breath, he listened closely.  
Schnorr.  
  
"Nope, just Uncle Vernon.but wait.there's something else." Harry stuffed his homework and stationary back into a pillowcase, curiosity nagging at him.  
  
Grrrrrrr. A strangely familiar soft growling ensued from under his window. Harry moved to the window, careful to avoid creaky areas of the floor. Taking a corner of the curtain, he flung it open the rest of the way.  
  
"Yahhh!" Harry yelped and leapt backwards, crashing to the floor. He had opened to curtain to see the head of a large shaggy, black dog pressed against the window, making it disfigured. It panted and tapped a paw against the glass.  
  
"Jeez, you scared me, Sirius!" Harry recovered and quickly opened the window. It leapt into the room and immediately changed into a black-robed man. " I hope the Dursleys' haven't been awak-" Harry was immediately engulfed in a tight hug.  
  
Before Harry could react, Sirius held him at arms' length, his eyes watering, and said," Harry, there's no time to ask questions, the Ministry is after you. I want you to pack now, we've got to leave."  
  
Harry blinked in confusion and did as he was told. Sirius rushed around madly, tossing everything in sight into Harry's trunk.  
  
"Alright, I'll tell you everything once we get you somewhere safe, ok?" Sirius snapped the lid shut, fumbled around his tattered robes and produced a palm-sized rock. "There, this portkey will take you to my hiding place. Just rap it twice and it'll bring you there. Now, when you reach there, just follow the path till you see a cave and I want you to stay put there, understand? I've got to create an illusion of you before I leave."  
  
"But, if I use this portkey, then how will you leave? There are apparating wards around this house." Harry whispered back.  
  
"I've got another one, don't worry. Now go! They'll be here any minute!" Sirius urged, glancing out the window.  
  
Harry grabbed Hedwig's cage and activated the portkey. He felt the familiar pull behind his navel and landed with a thump on a grassy field at the edge of a wood.  
  
The wood was thick and the trees blocked out any moonlight there was. Harry automatically brought out his wand. "Oh bugger, I can't use magic yet. And the Ministry would trace me here.but I can barely see anything!" He stuffed his wand back into his pocket and thought.  
  
Suddenly, Hedwig hooted and rustled around in her cage somewhat distressed. "What's going on, Hedwig? What did you see?" Heart pounding, Harry squinted into the darkness and tried to reassure Hedwig, stroking her feathers through the bars.  
  
For a moment, his eyes wandered over and rested on the dim outline of his Hogwarts trunk, "of course! My flashlight!" He flung the lid open and dug the flashlight from the pillowcase that he'd grabbed from under the floorboards. "Now, let's see where we are." Hands fumbling with anticipation, Harry snapped the flashlight on and directed the beam ahead.  
  
The narrow shaft of light fell upon the furry body of a small adorable creature, its huge eyes glistening up at him.  
  
"Oh, it's just an animal." Harry clutched at his heaving chest in relief. Hedwig hooted indignantly and hopped from foot to foot, feathers still ruffled.  
  
"There's nothing wrong with this animal.I don't think it will hurt us." Harry stared as the animal blinked its eyes and wagged its tail like an innocent puppy. "Calm down, Hedwig."  
  
Harry took a step closer, "say, what is it anyway? I haven't seen it in the textbooks before.If only Hermione was around."  
  
The small creature, however, stood its ground. Instead, it opened its jaws baring rows upon rows of teeth. Its mouth somehow managed to enlarge terribly.  
  
"Whoa.uh oh." Harry drew back in surprise.  
  
Without warning, a long red tongue whipped out of its mouth and snaked around Harry's leg, jerking him to the ground. Flailing his arms, he accidentally knocked Hedwig's cage over. Toppling from the trunk with a metallic crash, the door swung open and Hedwig soared out.  
  
Mercifully, the creature's slimy tongue withdrew, leaving Harry in a dusty heap.  
  
The animal emitted a high-pitched keening wail and began to shudder and twitch. Harry clapped his hands over his ears as he stared, horrified. Sickening sounds of popping bone and tearing flesh filled the night air, together with the wailing formed an eerie cacophony.  
  
Horns tore out and sprouted all over the creature's body, its canines grew and elongated. The creature grew larger, as if it were under an engorgement charm. Its innocent eyes turned a deep red and shrunk to slits in that enlarged body.  
  
Ceasing to grow further or sprout more appendages, it glanced about and spotted Harry sprawled on the grass.  
  
Emitting another high-pitched wail, it lumbered forward and lunged for Harry with incredible agility for one so large. Hedwig gave an alarmed hoot and swooped down at Harry, clawing at his shirt.  
  
Snapped out of his shock, Harry scrambled up. Puzzled by the flash of white feathers, the creature hesitated. Taking this opportunity, Harry dashed into the trees after Hedwig with the creature not far behind.  
  
Harry glanced back, the creature was gaining on him. "Somebody help!.Hedwig!" Harry cried desperately, clawing in his pockets for his wand, he had dropped it with the trunk! Never in his entire life had he felt so utterly helpless.  
  
He glanced about wildly, looking for a place to hide, he couldn't keep running much longer. Putting on a last burst of speed, Harry stumbled over a large rock outcropping and dived headfirst into a deep cave, Hedwig swooping in not a moment later. Pressing himself as close to the wall of the cave as possible, Harry waited for the creature to pass. Slowly, sounds of it stomping through the trees, trampling everything in its path died away.  
  
Harry released a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Come on, Hedwig. Sirius is probably waiting for us." He cautiously crawled out, eyes peeled for any danger.  
  
"It's gone then." Harry happened to look down as he brushed the dirt off his clothes. He noticed that he was dwarfed by a huge shadow. Strange, he was standing by a hill and there weren't many trees there.With dread filling his heart, Harry turned.  
  
Before he knew it, he was slammed painfully into the hill. Hedwig had tried to hoot a warning, but was too late, besides, she was far to small to do anything against that behemoth.  
  
Harry was sure a few ribs were broken as he slid down in a heap among the rocks, a little dazed from the blow. He barely registered it as the creature charged at him. Harry raised his arm in a feeble attempt to defend himself but the creature tore it open with one of its many horns. Hedwig gave an angry battle-hoot and swooped in on the beast's head, flapping about talons slashing, a feeble attempt at distraction.  
  
With another ear-piercing wail, it batted poor Hedwig into a tree and rounded once more on Harry, canines flashing.  
  
***  
  
A pair of thick booted feet rushed down the worn dirt path.  
  
"Harry! Harry! Are you there?" Sirius' voice was filled with worry. Hoping that Harry had found his way safely to his hiding place, Sirius doubled his speed, almost breaking into a run. Something just didn't feel right.  
  
All of a sudden, he gave a strangled yell and tumbled to the ground. He'd tripped over a hard object. Sirius was puzzled, he didn't remember anything that large anywhere near the path. He put his face close to the object and felt it, trying to make out what it was.  
  
A shaft of moonlight managed to penetrate the dense canopy of leaves and fell upon the object. The letters 'H.P.' gleamed in Sirius' face. "Harry's trunk!" He exclaimed. At this moment, something white and feathery landed on the trunk and hooted somewhat urgently.  
  
"Hedwig! What happed to you? Where's Harry?" Sirius demanded anxiously without thinking. The snowy owl, which had feathers missing all over the place, promptly took flight, diving into the dense vegetation. Sirius was quick to follow.  
  
Sirius ran as fast as he could, trying not to lose sight of Hedwig. It was clear something big had trampled through this very path. Crushed branches and fallen trees littered the way.  
  
Hedwig had led him to a hill and perched on a rock just above Harry's mangled body, hooting away. All other thoughts flew out of his head as he rushed forward to Harry.  
  
There was blood all over, even on the rocks where he'd been slammed. Sirius glanced about his surroundings. The attacker was long gone. He quickly examined Harry, there was a very faint pulse, as if it would go out any minute. He checked for broken bones. There were plenty. There was a long gash along the boy's arm, a creature had attacked him. Sirius searched his neck, no puncture wounds. But something else caught his eye.  
  
Right below his left collarbone was the most unusual wound Sirius had ever seen. There were three deep slashes, tapered downwards. But that was not all, the wounds were bubbling. Not with blood, but an evil, green liquid.  
  
"No.it cannot be!" Sirius gasped, horrified, ".If this is what I think it is." He bundled Harry up in his arms and ran as fast as his legs could carry him.  
  
***  
  
"Drakul! Are you there? I need help!" Sirius yelled desperately as he brushed past a tattered cloth that hung above the entrance of a cavern. He stormed into the cave and carefully laid Harry on a stone table.  
  
"Why are you here, Sirius?" A tall, silver-haired man emerged from the shadows. His cold, blood-red eyes darted over to Harry's still form and narrowed, "what do you think this is, a hospital?"  
  
"Damn it, this is my godson we're talking about!" Sirius implored and tore Harry's badly shredded shirt open at the collar. "Take a look at this wound! You're the expert around here!"  
  
The vampire glowered for a moment and swept to the table to examine Harry. He made a startled noise, "this.this is the fatal bite.the Mark of the Thestraldeceptus.!"  
To be continued.  
  
A/N: Well, phew! More on Harry's new abilities and weaknesses in the next chapter! That's it for now, don't forget to review! 


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